Many people with GERD want to know if there’s a difference between prescription Prilosec and the over-the-counter version.
“This is a relatively challenging question,” says Akram Alashari, MD, a trauma surgeon at Geisinger Medical Center in PA, and author of “THE POWER OF PEAK STATE.”
“I asked my department’s clinical pharmacist and I did some research to find the answer.
“Apparently, there doesn’t seem to be a difference in the drug itself.
However, there is a difference in the indication for administration.”
Dr. Alashari describes the following as approved uses by GERD sufferers for Prilosec as a prescription (there’s no difference in the chemical makeup of prescription Prilosec and the OTC version):
Can be used up to four weeks to treat heartburn and its associated symptoms.
Can be used four to eight weeks to treat endoscopically-diagnosed erosive esophagitis.
The drug has other indications not related to GERD.
The prescription version usually is of a higher dose per pill than the OTC Prilosec.
